Spring Into Outdoor Living

Investing the time to prepare your outdoor living space, yard, and the garden is a wonderful and productive way to fill your days. With visions of warm summer nights, family and friend gatherings to look forward to, April is the perfect time to get things in tip-top shape.

During times when there is much out of our control, getting your hands dirty doing the necessary and fulfilling work or getting your backyard ready for a summer of fun is within your control. While frost is still a possibility this month and your sprouting plants and perennials are still covered, things will begin to warm up, allowing for the list of things you’ll need to tend to for your lawn and garden.

With a spring that has seen its share of warmer days, you may have already started a bit of planting. If you haven't, cleaning the debris in your beds and yard is a great first place to start. Racking up the sticks and leaves that were covered up by snow, helps to restore grass once the warmer weather consistently arrives. April is also a great time to apply fertilizer, water generously, and frequently mow to ensure your grasses' growth isn't stunted. Once you've completed some of these maintenance steps, you can get serious about tending to your garden. Your soil needs to be loose and crumbly to work it to plant trees, shrubs, and vines. If you've planted veggies or started seeds indoors, April is a superb time to transplant your seedlings or directly sow your seeds into the ground. Before the last frost planting cabbage, carrots, kale, peas, spinach, and sweet peas are ideal in Ohio.

Once your lawn and garden are well on their way, you can turn your attention to shared spaces, outdoor kitchen, and living area. With regular cooler temps still, it's easy to spend the day spraying off seating areas and shinning up the grill. It's also a great time to make sure everything is in working order, from your fire feature to your BBQ.

It won’t be long before you can spend your entire weekend outdoor living. Now is the best time to get everything prepared, so there’s no delay once the warmer weather arrives!